This invention relates generally to computers and. more particularly to a distributed client/server spreadsheet software for workflow automation.
Workflow involves many individuals working in series or in parallel to achieve a common goal. There are numerous examples of workflow processes in an office or a business environment. These include expense reports, order processing, performance reviews, time sheets, capital appropriation requests, engineering change orders, and many more. Workflow typically begins when an individual makes a request or submits some information. This request is forwarded to one or more individuals for review and/or input. It may then go to some other individuals for further review and/or input. This process continues till it concludes based upon rules which the organization has defined. An important aspect of workflow is that different individuals participate in workflow at different times and at different locations.
Workflow automation involves the automation of a workflow process using computer technology. It is a distributed application because, by definition, more than one individual is involved. These individuals do their work using their own computers in the different geographic locations, and at different times.
Because of the involvement of more than one individual, a key problem of workflow automation is to provide a means of collecting and distributing information from different individuals at different times in some logical sequence. Traditionally this has been accomplished by creating electronic forms for each individual in a workflow process, and writing the software which collects, massages and distributes this information to individuals involved in subsequent steps of the workflow process. In modern workflow automation system the information is gathered from a user by inputting to a computer (the client) and is sent to a central computer (the server). This server massages this information and combines it with the information gathered from other users, and sends appropriate parts of the information to clients at subsequent steps in the workflow process. Creating these programs for collecting, massaging and distributing data from a number of different clients based upon pre-defined rules is a difficult, time-consuming and costly undertaking, which generally involves programming, scripting or developing macros. Thus, there remains a need for an easy to use and easy to create workflow system.